Experts Are Backing These Three Cardinals-Raiders Preseason Bets

It's nearly time for the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders to battle at Allegiant Stadium for Week 1 of NFL preseason action.

This is technically the second game for the Cardinals and head coach Mike LaFleur, who participated in a thriller against the Carolina Panthers in last week's Hall of Fame Game.

Without Carson Beck, it will be intriguing to see how the Cardinals divide their quarterback room's playing time while the Raiders will see both Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza. Las Vegas and Arizona are expected to play their starters to begin the game.

Three of the best bets we could find ahead of kickoff:

Moneyline: Cardinals

Iain MacMillan, SI.com: "Both coaches have announced that starters will play for at least a series in this game, so there's no edge to be had in terms of which players will see the field. With that being said, I think the Cardinals have the advantage in terms of already having a live-action game under their belt. Not only that, but the Cardinals have solid quarterbacks who will contribute throughout the game. Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, Carson Beck, and Kedon Slovis will likely all see reps. Brissett and Minshew are great veteran arms, while Beck and Slovis looked fantastic in the Hall of Fame Game, completing 24-of-29 passes for 282 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions."

Our take: Even with Beck out, the Cardinals still have two veteran quarterbacks over the Raiders — who have Cousins and a rookie in Mendoza. Arizona also already has a preseason game under their belt, which could translate to success tonight over a Raiders team making their debut.

Spread: Raiders -1.5

Keagan Smith, DraftKings: "With that said, it does feel fairly simple to trust Las Vegas in this contest. Scoring in the early stages shouldn’t be a major issue since both defenses probably aren’t going to be great this year, there’s star power in terms of starter talent at key positions, and general sloppiness tends to occur as teams knock the rust off. Where things get intriguing is once those starters leave. If Mendoza is going to see a fairly meaningful amount of playing time, it’s tough to bet against the Raiders and their No. 1 pick. Quarterback play means everything in these contests, and while Beck showed some flashes in the Hall of Fame Game, he’s not the same caliber of talent as his counterpart in this one. Covering the -1.5 spread shouldn’t be too tall of a task, especially given the reports out of camp and the status of both these teams."

Our take: This game does truly feel like a coin flip, for a variety of reasons. The Cardinals and Raiders are both working with first-time head coaches with rosters that have potential, but very much need to prove it. Perhaps Beck's absence gives the Raiders the advantage.

Over/Under: Under 41.5

Shawn Crest, Covers.com: "Arizona scored 30 points in the highest-scoring Hall of Fame game in history, but they'll be facing what appears to be an improved Raiders defense. Las Vegas added four defensive backs in the draft and signed a pair of veteran linebackers. The Cardinals defense should get a boost from their head start on the preseason. The last six teams to play in the last three HOF games did not allow the following week's opponent to score more than 20 points."

Our take: Crest also went on to say the last four quarterbacks drafted first overall went without a touchdown in their preseason debut, potentially spelling trouble for Mendoza despite Kirk Cousins starting. If Arizona's defense has issues similar to last week, this could very much hit.

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